Attlee Landslide... 60 years ago today

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Summary

Labour: 48.0% +10.0%  393 seats
National*: 39.6% -13.7% 210 seats
Liberal: 9.0% +2.3% 12 seats
Independents: 0.6% 8 seats
CommonWealth: 0.5% 1 seat
Communist: 0.4% +0.1% 2 seats
ILP: 0.2% 3 seats
Others: 9 seats

*Tory+National Liberal+National

Defeated Ministers

L.C.M.S. Amery Secretary of State for India and Burma Birmingham, Sparkbrook 

 W.J. Anstruther-Grey Assistant Postmaster-General Lanarkshire, Northern 

 B. Bracken First Lord of the Admiralty Paddington, North 

 A.E. Brown Minister of Aircraft Production Leith 

 R.A. Cary Lord Commissioner of the Treasury Eccles 

 Mrs. T. Cazalet-Keir Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education Islington, East 

 A. Chapman Parliamentary Secretary to the Scottish Office Lanarkshire, Rutherglen 

 Lord Dunglass Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign Office Lanarkshire, Lanark 

 P.V. Emrys-Evans Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Dominions Office Derbyshire, Southern 

 Sir P.J. Grigg Secretary of State for War Cardiff, East 

 L. Hore-Belisha Minister of National Insurance Plymouth, Devonport 

 Sir A.U.M. Hudson, Bt. Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Fuel and Power Hackney, North 

 Mrs. F. Horsbrugh Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food Dundee 

 H.W. Kerr Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health Oldham 

 R.K. Law Minister of Education Kingston-upon-Hull, South West 

 J.J. Llewellin Minister of Food Middlesex, Uxbridge 

 G.W. Lloyd Minister of Information Birmingham, Ladywood 

 W. Mabane Minister of State, Foreign Office Huddersfield 

 M.S. McCorquodale Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour and National Service Yorkshire (West Riding), Sowerby 

 M.H. Macmillan Secretary of State for Air Stockton-on-Tees 

 C.U. Peat Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of National Insurance Darlington 

 W.R.D. Perkins Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation Gloucestershire, Stroud 

 M. Petherick Financial Secretary to the War Office Cornwall, Penryn and Falmouth 

 R.A. Pilkington Civil Lord of the Admiralty Lancashire, Widnes 

 E.D. Sandys Minister of Works Lambeth, Norwood 

 R.D. Scott Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Northumberland, Wansbeck 

 Sir D.B. Somervell Secretary of State for Home Affairs Cheshire, Crewe 

 G.S. Summers Parliamentary Secretary (Overseas Trade) to the Board of Trade Northampton 

 G.E.P. Thorneycroft Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport Staffordshire, Stafford 

 A.R.L.F. Tree Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Town and Country Planning Leicestershire, Harborough 

 C. Waterhouse Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade Leicester, South 

 Sir W.J. Womersley Minister of Pensions Grimsby 

[Ben.]

Summary

Labour: 48.0% +10.0%  393 seats
National*: 39.6% -13.7% 210 seats
Liberal: 9.0% +2.3% 12 seats
Independents: 0.6% 8 seats
CommonWealth: 0.5% 1 seat
Communist: 0.4% +0.1% 2 seats
ILP: 0.2% 3 seats
Others: 9 seats

*Tory+National Liberal+National

Defeated Ministers

L.C.M.S. Amery Secretary of State for India and Burma Birmingham, Sparkbrook 

 W.J. Anstruther-Grey Assistant Postmaster-General Lanarkshire, Northern 

 B. Bracken First Lord of the Admiralty Paddington, North 

 A.E. Brown Minister of Aircraft Production Leith 

 R.A. Cary Lord Commissioner of the Treasury Eccles 

 Mrs. T. Cazalet-Keir Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education Islington, East 

 A. Chapman Parliamentary Secretary to the Scottish Office Lanarkshire, Rutherglen 

 Lord Dunglass Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign Office Lanarkshire, Lanark 

 P.V. Emrys-Evans Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Dominions Office Derbyshire, Southern 

 Sir P.J. Grigg Secretary of State for War Cardiff, East 

 L. Hore-Belisha Minister of National Insurance Plymouth, Devonport 

 Sir A.U.M. Hudson, Bt. Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Fuel and Power Hackney, North 

 Mrs. F. Horsbrugh Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food Dundee 

 H.W. Kerr Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health Oldham 

 R.K. Law Minister of Education Kingston-upon-Hull, South West 

 J.J. Llewellin Minister of Food Middlesex, Uxbridge 

 G.W. Lloyd Minister of Information Birmingham, Ladywood 

 W. Mabane Minister of State, Foreign Office Huddersfield 

 M.S. McCorquodale Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour and National Service Yorkshire (West Riding), Sowerby 

 M.H. Macmillan Secretary of State for Air Stockton-on-Tees 

 C.U. Peat Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of National Insurance Darlington 

 W.R.D. Perkins Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation Gloucestershire, Stroud 

 M. Petherick Financial Secretary to the War Office Cornwall, Penryn and Falmouth 

 R.A. Pilkington Civil Lord of the Admiralty Lancashire, Widnes 

 E.D. Sandys Minister of Works Lambeth, Norwood 

 R.D. Scott Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Northumberland, Wansbeck 

 Sir D.B. Somervell Secretary of State for Home Affairs Cheshire, Crewe 

 G.S. Summers Parliamentary Secretary (Overseas Trade) to the Board of Trade Northampton 

 G.E.P. Thorneycroft Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport Staffordshire, Stafford 

 A.R.L.F. Tree Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Town and Country Planning Leicestershire, Harborough 

 C. Waterhouse Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade Leicester, South 

 Sir W.J. Womersley Minister of Pensions Grimsby 

Out of interest, where where the 3 ILP Mps elected and where were the Communist MPs returned (I think one was Glasgow but where else?).

[minionofmidas]

Commies:
Fife Central (I think it was called, anyways the Fife coalfield around Cowdenbeath etc). A hold in 45.
Mile End (in the London East End) A gain in 45.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The three ILPers were all from Glasgow (Maxton et al), one Commie was elected for West Fife (most of which is in Gordon Brown's seat now) although he'd been it's M.P since '35, and the other from the East End (Stepney, Mile End).
Another Commie came very close in one of the two Rhondda seats (a local MFGB leader IIRC. Odd that the CPGB did so well in a place with as many Chapels as Rhondda, but that's the Valleys for you )

Interestingly, Labour won Winchester (!) and Taunton, but didn't win a load of seats in Lancashire that are now very, very safe (including Liverpool West Derby!). Reason for the latter is sectarianism, but not sure about the former... Ernie Bevin was from Exmoor orginally so that might sorta explain Taunton, but Winchester? Must have still been an area with a lot of agricultural labourers.

[minionofmidas]

Another Commie came very close in one of the two Rhondda seats (a local MFGB leader IIRC. Odd that the CPGB did so well in a place with as many Chapels as Rhondda, but that's the Valleys for you )

Arthur Horner I suppose.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Arthur Horner I suppose.

Nope. Checked my notes and it looks like I was wrong, candidate wasn't an MFGB leader, candidate was Harry Pollitt. Lost by just under 1000 votes.

[Ben.]

Interestingly, Labour won Winchester (!) and Taunton, but didn't win a load of seats in Lancashire that are now very, very safe (including Liverpool West Derby!). Reason for the latter is sectarianism, but not sure about the former... Ernie Bevin was from Exmoor orginally so that might sorta explain Taunton, but Winchester? Must have still been an area with a lot of agricultural labourers.

Strange... then again Labour once won rural seats in east Anglia in large part thanks to the support of rural trades unionists, that sadly that base of support has largely disappeared

This may be a red rag to a bull Al but is there a map of the 1945 election results?

[Rural Radical]

Apart from Harborough, Falmouth, Stroud and Uxbridge. It is Hard to see the Tories winning half of the gains that Labour made from Government Ministers, even if they ever get back into government.

Amazingly Widnes, Crewe, Hackney, Dundee and Oldham had Tory MPs. Yet Labour had loads of East Anglian Rural sets and places like Winchester and Taunton elected Labour Mps.

Amazing how things have changed. Most of the Gained seats from 60 years ago are now rock solid Labour seats that probably wouldnt be lost in a Tory Landslide of a similar Magnitude.

[Ben.]

Apart from Harborough...

Labour won Harborough in 1945!

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Strange... then again Labour once won rural seats in east Anglia in large part thanks to the support of rural trades unionists, that sadly that base of support has largely disappeared

Demographic changes out there have been huge... it's very sad from almost anyway you look at it really... what's left of the old movement out there is in the TGWU IIRC.
There's still residual Labour support in rural East Anglia (note that the appalling % we got in Norfolk North this year is due to tactical voting) but it hardly turns out to vote and hasn't bothered much since 1970. Last semi-decent turnout for us there was in 1997. If it'd been worked on, Labour could have come away with something like four rural seats out there.
No one saw it coming though, so there was no oppertunity to work on it.

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I've been meaning to make one for a while. I'll have to get hold of an outline map first (I think I can do that) and while I don't own a set of results for that election, big public libraries are wonderful things

[Emsworth]

What would you say was the most surprising/shocking result? Perhaps like Gisela Stuart's victory in Edgbaston in 1997?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Labour won Harborough in 1945!

Yep. Just. Of the 7 Leicestershire seats Labour won at least 6, maybe 7 but I don't think so.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

What would you say was the most surprising/shocking result? Perhaps like Gisela Stuart's victory in Edgbaston in 1997?

At the time? So many... the overall result probably came as the biggest shock. And seeing all those cabinet ministers lose.
I suspect it was some of the rural results; Cambridgeshire for one.

[ilikeverin]

Minister of Food?!?

[Emsworth]

Minister of Food?!?

Yes, there are some unusual government positions in the U.K. Witness: "Minister for the Olympics," "Minister of Information" (remember Iraq?), "Minister of Aircraft Production," "Minister of Economic Warfare," "Minister of Supply," and "Secretary of State for Productivity, Energy and Industry."

And we haven't even started with the ancient and the royalty-related offices.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Minister of Food?!?

There was rationing back then

Emsworth: sadly Alan Johnson thought that Productivity, Energy and Industry sounded bloody stupid so he got it changed back to DTI

[Emsworth]

Emsworth: sadly Alan Johnson thought that Productivity, Energy and Industry sounded bloody stupid so he got it changed back to DTI

Yes, if I recall correctly, it was just a week or so after the name change first took place. I would have to agree that "Productivity, Energy and Industry" doesn't sound too great, though. It doesn't even mention "Trade"!

[ilikeverin]

I want to move to England and become Minister of Food

Then I can make such pronouncements as:

"Food is good."

"Hunger is bad."

[Emsworth]

I want to move to England and become Minister of Food

The position of Minister of Food does not exist anymore, however.

[ilikeverin]

I want to move to England and become Minister of Food

The position of Minister of Food does not exist anymore, however.

It should

I want to move to England to create the position Minister of Food.  Is that better?

[Emsworth]

I want to move to England and become Minister of Food

The position of Minister of Food does not exist anymore, however.

It should

I want to move to England to create the position Minister of Food.  Is that better?

You would have to become Prime Minister in order to create a new position.

But there are a lot of other positions with nice titles that you might like. You might become the Queen's Bargemaster, the Apothecary to the Queen's Household, the Lord High Almoner, the Swan Warden, the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, the Gold Stick, or the Silver Stick.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

About about Lord Privy Seal?

[Emsworth]

About about Lord Privy Seal?

Ah, yes: he is "neither a Lord, nor a Privy, nor a Seal"

[minionofmidas]

If you elect me your prime minister, I intend to change that by appointing a seal to the post of lord privy seal ... and make it a lord as well! Can't help the privy part...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Can't help the privy part...

Outside toilets are being demolished at quite a rate these days.